the bus station

2011-01-04T18:32:00.004Z

'73 Westy is on it's way from California. It will be getting a little cleaning up done and is for sale for £14500. See vehicle sales page for a lot more pics. Simon's '66 Double door panel came in for the sills replaced both sides. When the outers were removed, the inners, bulkheads and floors needed repair too. More pics in Facebook gallery online soon. '72 Deluxe is well on it's way to being completed and has a new owner waiting for it.
Meanwhile Lucy's '65 bug is in for some repair work after a hit and run left it in need of TLC. More pics as we progress.

2011-01-04T18:02:00.003Z

We are slowly updating the blog due to a lot of factors making the blog have to take a back seat in 2010. We have lost a lot of pics and info(see below posts!) but will do our best and will be making more regular updates from now on. We are also in the process of creating a FACEBOOK page, which will have lots of photo galleries to make finding particular cars easier and will be linked to here when ready......
We managed a weekend trip to Le bug show at SPA in the Golf, as no bus to drive, Sob.. Rest of pics will be in a gallery on our facebook page, which will be online shortly. Here's a few misc pics of some of this year's work. Seems to have been a lot of metal repair this year..

Here's a pic of the narrowed bug beam in a type 3 square conversion someone had done a DIY job on! The framehead was also rotten and no, there wasn't anything holding the beam in on this side... We re-did it all with 8mm steel and also repaired a few nasty bodywork areas and did a lot of paint blending.Here's the '67 Beetle that replaced the '66 Beetle we drove to the Arctic circle (below) A beautiful rust free 67 1500. Lotus White, Red interior, Eberspacher heater and factory 12 volt! This also came from Sweden.Gratuitous inner wing shot. This turned out too nice for what we had planned for it, so it was left stock and sold on. I know, can't keep anything!The '66 Bus being lost to a fire did eventually have a large silver lining in the form of our 'new' '67 kombi, which is actually a nicer bus. We did miss the summer, but it arrived from California in time for Brighton Breeze. The insurance company couldn't have been better or faster.Here's the Original Sears Radars whiche were due to go on until we found out one of the wheels has been badly re-rimmed and the rim is not on straight! Talk about a rubbish year! Fortunately the seller has agreed to take them back.

2011-01-04T17:17:00.004Z

July is where everything got a bit sketchy, as we lost the camera with all the pics on it...
After 25 years off the road and a year's worth of spare time our '66 Walkthru hit the UK roads.Then this happened.. The brass fitting blew out of the carb on the motorway and the bus was a total loss...Gutted. The camera was inside the bus. Dave kindly took these shots.The only thing keeping us going at the time was a planned trip to pick up a '66 Bug in Northern Sweden. We flew out there on the Friday afternoon (the bus burned Tuesday) and picked up the bug in the land of the midnight sun. The first two pics are at midnight.The next day we drove 60km north to the Arctic Circle before turning south.We collected the '75 ex army bus a few miles south. It was then a 1000 mile drive to the Helsingborg ferry to cross into Denmark, before another crossing to Germany, then a drive through Holland, Belgium, France and Home. A 2000 mile trip in 5 days.On returning home the camo bus received an MOT and UK registration, Lowering, Satin black bumpers and wheels, a rock and roll bed and a new owner! The Beetle also went to a new home as although it was RUST FREE we found a better one! We don't have a record of a lot of the work from the early part of last year due to the fire, but here's a few of the many lowering jobs we did in the time. Sorry if we lost your pics!

On returning home Dave's Ghia received a 5" narrowed beam, drop spindles and some 'Outlaw' style scallops. While Darren's Bay got a disc conversion and a new exhaust system.

2011-01-04T16:42:00.002Z

'66 Westy was finished shortly after Volksworld show and collected by Tim and family. It was a lot of work, but came out good after it's 25 year slumber. Suspension wise it received a 6" narrowed caster beam inside the chassis rails, narrowed rear torsion housing and drop spindles, raised box, etc. As well as all the metal repair, paint blending and interior work pictured in previous posts. Facebook gallery will be up shortly. The feature for Volksworld camper and bus is due out in the Feb or March 2011 issue.1970 Westy Hardtop arrived from the US and was sold as a project to someone oop north.Tom bought a 1970 bus from us in 2008. When it came time to replace it with something a bit newer, Tom got in touch and we sourced this lovely Bluestar multivan for him from Germany. It meant a Loooonng couple of days driving to Hamburg and back, but Tom was delighted with it, which makes it all worthwhile. Dan bought this 15 window and we had it collected for him and dropped straight at our shop for some much needed work. It received a straight axle conversion, drop spindles and a new 1600 engine. Unfortunately it also needed an entire new gear linkage, ALL the steering components, etc, etc. We suspect it was a South American 'Restoration' and was in quite a bad way everywhere. We worked out a lot of the bugs until Dan decided enough for now. This is why our Pre purchase inspections make SO much sense!Project '69 Deluxe came a long way before going to it's new home. Check out the before and (nearly) after pics below! Bus had a 4" narrowed linkpin beam and drop spindles, as well as a notched rear chassis with lowering plates.That's all for now. We will continue with updates in small sections, as there's a lot to report since Jan 2010!

2010-03-16T19:14:00.003Z

1975 Deluxe bus for sale. Will come with microbus seats or full width metal framed rock and roll bed. Has 2 litre engine with new cylinder heads and brand new dual 40 weber carbs. Will be sold with narrowed beam and Enkei rims (see prosign bus below) or gas burner wheels. Paint will be buffed/cleaned up. Full MOT and UK reg. £8750.00

More blog updates soon, sorry but we're busy busy busy gettin' stuff done.

2010-01-27T16:54:00.005Z

Christmas seemed like a long one this year, with extra time off due to a leg/back problem. Still, we are back at it now. Something to look forward to in the new year was our truck feature in Volksworld Camper and Bus magazine. A big Thanks You to James and the team for a great feature. Get your copy now!Project '66 Westy has come in for a few weeks worth of metalwork and paint. More paint to do then it's on to suspension.. Interior is going back in and looking good.

The wheels arrived for Project Westy from the states and blew us away!We couldn't resist mocking one up on Project walkthru... the verdict... Awesome!

Project walkthru has been progressing slowly, as it's our own bus and therefore a 'spare time' project! The plan is to get it on the road for this year pretty much as is, with a set of spindles and a rebuilt RGB gearbox. Then it will take on a nostalgia/ period performance theme, with a few subtle and reversible mods from the pre 1970 era, including a single port 1776 with zenith carb and Bosch 010, etc. Screens are in and drivers door painted and on with correct colour primer and just the right amount of bleed through (Need another go at the blue paint match though, as it's a bit dark!)How rust free!Been making lots of bus beams recently, at the special price of £395 or £450 powdercoated. These are 100% new with caster correction, bay and split mounting holes, raised centre pin, upper shock bosses with bolts and machined bushes. Hight quality CSP adjusters are used.

Ally's bus came in before Christmas for some metal repair under the windscreens and some safaris installed. Here it is nearing completion..

We also colour coded the hubcaps and Mark restored an original blackout lamp for it.Project '69 Deluxe came in for some paint blending and bodywork, a couple of panels replaced, etc. Suspension is next - 4" split beam with drop spindles and Torkers.. More later.

2009-11-30T15:34:00.006Z

Anthony from IPC Media came down to shoot the truck for Volksworld Camper and Bus mag. The shoot was rainy, but the pics look awesome. Thanks Anthony!

He also managed to shoot Johnny's SO33 westy on the same day, but at a different waterfront location; it's such a chore living so close to the sea sometimes..... yeah right!Work has been progressing slowly on project walkthru, but a lot of the bus is now buffed, spindles removed and a lot of cleaning going on. Lower windscreen surround is also repainted and the drivers door is getting some paint blending.'69 Deluxe found a new owner in Ben and will be finished with all the usual tricks. Work is due to start in the next couple of weeks - 4" Split beam, drop spindles, JGE Torkers, new engine, brakes, MOT, etc, etc. Watch this space..'66 Westy has also found new owners, with Tim and family. As we type this, there are a lot of pics to be uploaded, we are around 75% of the way through the metal repairs, then we will carry out a load of paint blending, narrowed rear with bug short axles and narrowed front with raised box to accomodate the Chevy pattern rims - 6" fronts and 8" rears.Meanwhile, Neil's Westy came in for a brake servo install and a lowering job:Here's our pick of our Brighton Breeze pics, which were missed off the last posting:Our shop truck has now gone to a new owner in Germany. we were sad to see it go, but have now got a T4 as a replacement/tow vehicle. Pics of that when the transformation begins!

2009-11-30T15:05:00.002Z

Pre holiday our shop truck doubled up as a Beachbuggin' hack, here it is after we collected what was to be the stage..And here are the graffiti boards being undercoated in the workshop one evening. This bay with 17's came in for a mild front end drop..Before:After:Whilst Andy's cabrio came in for a 5" beam, drop spindles and a 2 spline rear drop with adjustable springplates to level the rear up. Some of you may remember we did a similar job on his Black RHD oval a couple of years back.Before:After:

Ally's brakes failed on the way to Vanfest. Mark went up for the day on the sunday and fitted a new rear wheel cylinder and shoes, then it came in for a full brake checkup on it's return and a new MOT.

Matthew drove over from his home in northern France for a one day lowering and left delighted a few hours later.John's bus came in with a narrowed beam that had not been thought out properly, so the front shocks wouldn't fit! We fitted some of our extended upper shock mounts (our endplates come with them as standard!) and this sorted the problem out.The replacement for our '58 Mango bus arrived in the form of a rust free '66 walkthru in original paint. This will be a dream project. Mark headed up to Felixstowe to collect it. There was the usual array of interesting old metal at the warehouse...Including Dave's 'new' '65 project, which will be getting some suspension surgery. and a little metal repair/paint blending.Work has already begun on the walkthru, buffing out the paint and getting it dropped and ready for an MOT.Brighton Breeze followed another early start and a 5 car cruise along the coast. What a great day out once again and a good swap session.

2009-11-04T10:22:00.008Z

It's been 3 months since the last blog update.. Being busy in the 'shop and tired the rest of the time it's been easy to put it off. The trouble is, the longer you leave it, the harder it gets to do it all. Here's the first of a few small updates, after abandoning the large update we have been trying to do for too long...

After SPA, Rod's single cab came in for a 4" narrowed beam, drop spindles and a raised steering box. We also did a dual circuit and CSP discs on the front.
On the ground just needing the height set.
We also managed to fit in a mild front end drop on Alice and Adam's 71 Moonraker before leaving the same afternoon for a 2 week holiday to Biarritz.
Before:
After:
On the way to Biarritz we took in a show in 30 degree heat at the coastal town of Soustons. Lots of cool and very different cars on display.On our return, Johnny and Lucy brought in their new '65 Bug which they flew out to sweden and drove home. £7 beer anyone? The bug was left with us for a few days and left with a new MOT.
This loverly RHD camper also came in for an MOT, which it passed with no problems.

SPA 2009

2009-09-03T14:46:00.012Z

Spa 2009 turned out to be a great trip, we left on the thursday before the show and came back on the tuesday after. The weather was awesome except for sunday, when we chose to visit the dutch coast for a night, where it was sunny and warm. Loads of great cars, good food and good times. Best of all we did nearly 900 trouble free miles.

2009-07-01T16:38:00.018Z

Sorry for the 2 month Blog hiatus, been busy working and every spare moment has been spent getting the shop truck on the road!

Peter's westy came in for an MOT, some metalwork and paint blending, a service and a few other small jobs doing. An absolute fortune has been spent on this bus at a well known specialist and it's difficult to see where the money has gone.. The front brake hoses alone were an accident waiting to happen - too long and fouling the brake pipe mounting brackets. This should have failed the last MOT!
Unfortunately the rot had progressed beyond the outer sill which it came in for..
But it's all good now. Progress pics:

Nathan brought his '70 Westy down to the coast for a 4" narrowed beam with a bit more height on the adjusters than his old beam. Because of the drop spindles the old beam was hitting the floor all the time.Went to the hot rod and custom drive in day at Beaulieu, this show gets better every year.Shop truck went for it's MOT and passed first time - naturally!

The same evening on leaving the VW club a foreign bolt got lodged in no. 3 inlet valve! We can only assume it was in the inlet manifold when we got the truck!

Repaired sat. afternoon/evening just in time for a local 4th July cruise.Built this 4" narrowed bay beam for a well known suspension specialist..

and a batch of brand new 4 and 5 inch narrowed Balljoint Beetle beams. These are 100% new manufactured in house now.Went to Dubs at the Castle in Caldicot instead of Bug Jam. Nice family show in lovely surroundings. Will definitely be there next year. Cruised at 65mph all the way and got 28mpg..

Richie bought the 68 bug for his other half as a surprise. It has a 4" beam, 6 and 7 inch cookie cutters fully polished. We did a few bits of metalwork and paint blending, as well as a full buff job by Johnny. A nice mild drop for a daily driver.

'76 Berlin found a new family. It was 100% rust free, but needed 4 pages of MOT work due to the no MOT culture in some US states! A good buff job (this time by Rich) powdercoated bumpers, etc and it was ready.

Ben brought his bus in for an MOT, steering rack, CSP discs and dual circuit, gauges installing and CSP shifter fitting amongst other things. Someone had fitted the raders on the back without spacers and one wheel wasn't seated down properly on the drum! Ben had driven down from Yorkshire like this! All done now.Lovely ex French '68 came in for a one day drop job and had lead a very interesting life! There were a fair few other one day jobs in this period too - if I missed your out it's because the camera died and we had to get a new one. If you email me after pics of your car I will add them to the blog..We did the suspension on Simon's SO69 westy a couple of years ago. Since then it has sat dormant, waiting for the day Simon had the chance to finish it and get it on the road. Rich, who we built the 13 window for last year convinced Simon to sell it to him and it arrived on a trailer for the rest of the work doing.A new Master cylinder, lots of wiring and other mechanical jobs, an MOT, a full buff and wax job and wheels detailed by Rich it is ready to hit the road. Rich had a deadline to catch a ferry next week with it!Johnny's SO33 came in for some tie rod notches, the shop truck ones were done at the same time.Bus is lookin' awesome by the way Johnny.

We recommisioned Paul's RHD notchback last year. It came in for the advisories doing from last years MOT, then went on to pass the MOT first time.Mark's '58 Mango bus arrived, received some buffing, then got sold to Matt at Smiths of Cornwall, who we are sure will do the original Devon interior justice.Rod's truck came in for the US spec bumpers fitting and a new MOT. Now the new engine is installed it will be coming in for the front end doing, after the SPA trip this weekend.

Mark's been putting the truck to good use. It's off to Le Bug Show at SPA in it today.. Shop will be closed until Wednesday.

2009-05-25T18:58:00.005Z

Project '68 Deluxe is done and Dave collected it on Friday for the long drive home. Specs are as follows: All new steering, suspension and brakes. 70mm Narrowed link pin beam with drop spindles, CSP discs up front, 2 spline rear drop, Chirco recon single port heads, new exhaust, etc, etc. This should be a trouble free package for many miles ahead.Here's how it looked when we bought it - covered in moss and on nosebleed status.

Rear end had a lot of patina and a bit of rust from previous repairs. We decided to paint the rear end

Before:

During:

After: We also has to de-rust and blend the paint under the front screen, Before fitting an uncracked screen and new seal. The rest of the bus received a fair amount of touch up.The inside was cleaned out and received a new CSP shifter. This cool bay also came up from Bournemouth for a one day drop.

Before:

After:

2009-05-17T09:07:00.001Z

Vehicles For Sale page has now been updated. I realised it was about a year out of date! FTP access can be a pain, but still... Look out for updates to the sold gallery too.

2009-05-17T06:35:00.004Z

Tim's bus is done and was collected by Tim mid week for the run back to Belgium. Once we gave it a wash it looked awesome. Tim wanted a sensible height so he can tow a caravan behind it. He deals in Old School lightweight caravans, so if you are in the market, get in touch. Here's the man himself with a smile on his face..Project '68 Deluxe came in for a bunch of work and an MOT this week, as we are on a deadline for it to go and get it's interior fitted. Not much to see, but a UK spec rewire, new headlamps...New disc brake master cylinder for the CSP's... all new brakes and suspension/steering components throughout meant a first time MOT pass. Paperwork now with the DVLA.If you want a fully sorted early deluxe similar to project '68, then get in touch. we have been importing nice early bays since 2002 before they were even considered hot property. Here is the latest one to leave the USA - an Original paint '69 Deluxe camper. The previous owner has already removed the hippie paint and buffed a couple of areas. This leaves us to do our trademark paint blending and buff job, fit a nose badge and slam it on a link pin beam with all new brakes, steering and suspension throughout. Rear bumper is included and will be refitted before sale. We don't scrape MOT's with our buses like some other import companies, we like to impress the MOT tester! It will also have a stripped and checked engine. Guide price £8000 with the above and some cool rims, such as Torkers. Check out the rare non walkthrough bulkhead..Johnny has helped out a lot recently around the shop, Thursday evening was the turn of his late '63 subhatch westy to get some attention. At 6pm the spindles still needed pressing and finishing, beam needed installing, some wiring needed and new brake hoses up front. By Friday afternoon she had a fresh MOT and paperwork was submitted for registration. That's 2 manic MOT's in 2 days. Check out all the progress on Johnny's westy on his blog at http://johnnylongtime.blogspot.com/

2009-05-11T06:22:00.015Z

Tim's bus arrived on a trailer from his home in Belgium a couple of weeks ago. It will be finished tomorrow and has the following: Adjustable IRS, rebuilt gearbox, 4" Narrowed beam with drop spindles, CSP discs and dual circuit and steering rack with VDM wheel. It has the new Motorworks iron cross style wheels. Project 68 Deluxe is coming on. It's getting the works mechanically - 70mm narrowed link pin beam with drop spindles, 2 spline at rear, Chromed raders, all new rear brakes, CSP fronts, all new steering components, new exhaust, new windscreen and blended lower surround, rear paint blending, wet sand and buff job on the paint, CSP shifter, etc. First job was to scrub the moss off the roof!Looks a bit better already eh?We took a trip up to the docks last week to pick up the 76 westy berlin. Dave left his trekker at home and gave Mark a lift in his 'new' sensible daily driver - a slammed '79 Passat!Saw this Delorean there - they look much better bare..Westy is a 100% rust free import, 2 litre injection, new exhaust, factory AC (needs looking at) full Berlin interior and ready to go. Will be MOT'd, registered, buffed paint, etc and no doubt lowered before sale £9750 is all it will take to buy it.Peter's Westy went for it's MOT, prior to having a service and tuning the carbs. A little localised metal repair and paint blending and it will be done.A couple of bays came in for a one day drop

Before:

After: Before:After:We did a front and rear job on steve's bus last year, he called us recently to say how happy he is with it and we saw a couple of pics on the net showing he has swapped the OG burners for some polished fuchs..Stickers and T shirts available. T shirts are £15 plus postage.

Lastly, Chris brought his bug in for front and rear lowering and new shocks.
Before:
After:

2009-04-01T17:58:00.010Z

Thanks to everyone who helped out at Volksworld show and all the great people we met over the course of a very enjoyable weekend. We didn't get much time to look around and take pictures, but Evil Ben's country buggy was top of our list.Rod's Single cab is now IRS'd and undersealed and went home to a delighted Rod before Volksworld show. It will be back shortly for a narrowed beam, drop spindles and a raised steering box.

Before:During:

After:

A few one day lowering jobs have been through the doors recently:

Before front end drop:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

There are still a couple more on the camera too...

A couple of nice patina buses have called by recently for a visit...

Project shop truck missed out on Volksworld show, it was just too hectic on the run up and customers cars have to come first..

Johnny took a little time out to wet sand and buff the whole truck, which has transformed it...

Before Mark and Johnny applied the painted logos..The beam was finished and fitted..

Headlamps restored and fitted with H4 halogens with yellow bulbs..

and interior finished..

How we will run it daily with a 'washable' seat cover.. we can't wait to daily drive this bucket now.

Project '68 Deluxe is here and will be done for it's new owner soon.. We saw this awesome lowlight Kab at the shippers.

Lastly, we visited the Holton Classic yesterday and had a great day out with nice weather.. roll on Wheels day.

2009-02-28T07:45:00.009Z

Gez's Pickup is done and ready to be collected. It has a 4.5" Narrowed caster beam, drop spindles, straight axled with 5 lug cosmics, 1641 supplied by Gez fitted and plumbed in... Nice usable lowered truck.Alistair's RHD camper is in for MOT work, including rebuilt front spindles. We are also fitting a good used 'big nut' transmission to remedy the jumping out of 4th gear.

Richie's bug has come in for some buffing and comes up awesome.Mark and Johnny headed up to Dubfreeze early sunday morning. Here's our pick of the show..

Sean did a deal with Rich for the slammed 13 window we built him back in the summer. Sean popped in last week to show us his daily, complete with home brewed turbo setup.. We can see something similar in the shop truck by the end of the year!Ian brought in the first of 3 bays he wants us to lower. 5 hours and it was done..Project shop truck needs to gather pace if it is going to make Volksworld show. Front bumper painted and built up with new number plates made too..Sound deadening finished...

Cab floor painted including bump for pitman arm on raised steering box.. We decided to leave re-doing a few repairs such as the one pictured until the truck is on the road/mango bus is done.

Under front cab painted in Epoxy paint ready to receive suspension..Behind both front wheels some localised repairs are needed before paint finished.Started on painting around rear area as some paint left in the gun.. We swapped the '68 double cab in Texas for this fully loaded '76 Westy Berlin. This will be here soon.. With a fresh service, new exhaust and awesome unwelded floors it just needs a buff job and clean up before sale.. or hire.?

2009-02-08T10:05:00.006Z

Gez's '60 single is nearly there.. Just got to fit the engine, site the external filter, modify the exhaust..
Plumb the rear brakes and fit the new hardware, then it will be ready to go.
We also finished up the front with new shocks and greased everything.
Here's what you have to do to early front drums to fit cosmics, this is WITH ADAPTORS as well! The rears needed machining too.
The tyres are mounted on the cosmics ready to go on.
Rod's single cab is in for an IRS conversion and the underside to be painted or undersealed.
It's the Single cab station here at the moment..
Speaking of which, Project shop truck has come in for a bit of work this week. The sound deadening was finished inside the front panel.. ..and the front doors.
The ebay sourced MDF kick panels didn't fit at all, so needed modifying. The paint match was rubbish too, but we will live with it until after the MOT.
Welded up some holes on the pass. side door top and repainted it. New seals are installed, just needs refitting.
There was an old repair at the back of the cab, where the panel had come away. It was cleaned up, seam sealed and painted.
Johnny came over yesterday and cleaned the rear frame ready for paint, the masochist!
Whilst Mark welded in the new steering box raise chassis section and did a small repair to the inner valance.
We also mocked up the Appliance wheels - the truck will be getting stock 15" bus wheels with grey hubcaps, but we may run these for a couple of weeks to start with. They are 5" up front and 7" at the rear.

2009-01-27T19:55:00.007Z

Another month light on blog updates. From now on we will try for weekly updates, honest!

Johnny's Westy straight axle is finished, the bus will be back for a narrowed beam, rebuild on the drop spindles and a steering box raise once some metalwork has been done.
Gez's '60 single cab now has a 4.5" narrowed beam and drop spindles. The straight axle will be finished by late next week and the cosmics will be fitted once the front drums have been machined..
Dave brought his Trekker in for a one day drop job and now has drop spindles up front and a 2 spline drop in the rear.
Before:
During:
After:
This lovely mango green bus came in for a basic lowering job and a new MOT.
While this bay came in for a one day drop job in the middle of it's resto.
New stickers have now arrived, drop us a line if you want one, they are FREE.
Progress is being made on project shop truck..
Johnny came in and insulated the inside of it... he's doing this as a business now. drop us a line if you want a cosy bus.
then the headliner went in. The doors and front panel have a lot of sound deadening behind the new interior panels also, hopefully it will be an oasis of calm to drive..
The door tops were removed and repainted, before being fitted with new seals throughout.
The rusted lower portion of the rear gate is getting some surgery inside and out.
James from Volksworld dropped off the beetle they are giving away at the show. The plan was for adjusters to be welded into the beam and a 1 spline drop at the rear. Unfortunately the front beam was a bit crusty, so was replaced with one we had in stock.
Before:
After: Just needs a wash before it heads back to Volksworld HQ.
Richie dropped in on Saturday morning with the '69 bug we built for him last year as he had hit the lower beam adjuster hard on a manhole cover. A new adjuster bolt and he was on his way again. We decided the donkey needed a straw hat and mexican blanket.
Mark picked up a very original '68 bug to slam, buff and drive for a bit. However, once richie heard about it he had to have it 'for the wife'. It will be getting a scratch built 4" beam, drop spindles and 1 inner spline rear drop and fully polished cookie's, along with the original europa bumpers and some paint blending and buffing. We have been itching to do a late model for a while and have already dropped the beam, so watch this space.
Mark's '58 Pressed bumper Mango bus has finally been picked up after a 6 month wait, so it's all systems go to get the shop truck finished before it's arrival.

2008-12-29T16:39:00.003Z

There's been a distinct lack of blog updates the last month. Apologies for this, but with 2 severe bouts of flu and a heavy workload to complete before a 2 week Christmas break it's been too busy for Blogging!
Anyway, slow progress is being made on Project shop truck. The beam and spindles are almost finished, gearbox ready to install once underside cleaned and painted, steering column is shortened, seat frame repaired and upholstered, etc, etc.
Rich's bus came in for the tubs to be painted and undersealing;
This lovely original paint velvet green 69 RHD Danbury came in for a one day lowering job and we hooked up the heaters too! all part of the service for these winter jobs..
We also did a pretty mild drop on this '75 Bay...
and Owain brought his '71 Westy down for a drop too... and the heaters hooking up!
John brought his '70 import westy hardtop in for an adjustable lowering job and a spot of welding.
From this:
To this:
Peter's '61 was finished and left on a trailer. It has a 4" beam, drop spindles and straight axle swap, along with some polished Fuchs reps.
Darren brought in his Viking for lowering and fitting 16 inch Fuchs. The 7x16 rears were too wide for adapters, so we re-drilled the hubs.
It also ended up needing everything from the hubs outward replacing. The backing plates virtually fell off!
Johnny's Mouse grey S034 Westy came in for a straight axle and is nearly finished as I write this, Johnny took some time off work to POR-15 where the rear suspension mounts before it all went in.

2008-11-22T08:29:00.008Z

Richie's bus finished with approx 4" drop all round.

Martin brought his '67 in for us to raise the beam back up to stock and fit drop spindles. The result is a bus that looks the same, but has ride quality!The Jeans bus came in for a full underseal and cavity wax treatment and took us all back in time!

We worked late Tubbing Rich's bus the night before the Ace Cafe autumn fair. This was so we could take it to the Ace 4 up and bring it down another half inch at the front. We drive ours..

Here's a few of our picks from the Ace.

Johnny giving Charlie some knitting tips on the way home.

We got to Slough swapmeet a bit late. By the time we had finished checking out bargains and having a natter there wasnt' really much left in the car park, save for the odd Vito and trailer!Jez dropped off his '60 Pickup for a 4.5" beam, drop spindles, straight axle and fitting some cosmic wheels.The squareback received it's last wash in our hands last Saturday, whilst Charlie lowered his VR6 and Rich serviced his own bus!

On Sunday we borrowed a truck and trailered the square up north and swapped it for this '62 Single cab, which will be our new shop truck.

5 Days later the truck has it's beam removed and stripped, spindles half way through dropping, steering box removed and stripped for column shortening for the box raise, front badge painted Silver white, front clear indicators and lots of sanding and buffing! It's an evening and weekend project, but hopefully will be done pretty quickly.

Steve's bus is done and left on a transporter back up to Stockport. It has a 4" beam, drop spindles, straight axled, full service and tuned carbs and drives Awesome!Tim's Bus is also done with a load of paint blending and will be collected today. Check out the before pics..After..! We have a new batch of 5" Bug beams ready in both Balljoint and Link pin. Bolt on with no body mods.

And finally, Peter's '61 is on the lift and well under way, it's having a 4" beam, drop spindles and straight axle.

2008-11-03T19:53:00.013Z

Another packed few weeks means no blog updates, sorry folks!
Dave brought his '67 Split in for drop spindles, a 1 spline rear drop and a full underseal and cavity wax treatment.
Brian's Double cab went home with straight axle, drop spindles and CSP discs.
Dave (another one!) brought his '69 bay in for a 1 day lowering job and fitting a set of Raders.
It's a winning combination and Dave went home delighted.
Andrew's '66 split came in for an MOT, raised steering box and a full service.
The '70 Bus was sold to Andy from Scotland and we finally finished it the day before Brighton Breeze. Here's what it looked like on arrival:
And here's how it looked when complete. 4" Narrowed beam, rebuilt engine and 2 splines in the back with Chromed Raders.
Here's Andy and family setting off home to Scotland!
Brighton Breeze dawned cold and early with a 6:30 cruise.
Jeremy's 1 owner single cab with Bus Station spindles.
A few other picks:Tim's westy flying the Slam King flag.Mark swapped some 4 lug performance industries wheels with Kinky Mick for these AP pacers.On Sunday we headed up to the Watercress Line steam railway in Alresford for the Type 3 and 4 Club AGM, where a few nice cars had turned out.Awesome Pigalle.Back at the workshop and Tim's 57 is progressing nicely..
All the ancilliary parts are in paint, the rest will be finished this week.Mark headed up to Felixstowe on Friday to collect the '72 bus. Johnny hitched a ride to collect his Mouse Grey '64 SO33 Westy.Happy Johnny??!The '72 is very straight and solid, just needs an engine and box and re-commissioning. Get it now as is for £3500!Richie brought his newly purchased bay in for lowering. This is the 3rd one of Richie's VW's we have lowered! After pictures to follow!

2008-10-09T14:49:00.007Z

Sorry for the lack of blog updates, the last month has been hectic.
Rich's bus was completed in time for Vanfest, complete with hand painted rear window.. Front tubs and a bit lower is on the cards.
Here are a few one day lowering jobs we have carried out for happy customers..

Tim dropped off his '57 for a lot of paint blending to be carried out..Whilst Dave's bus is in for drop spindles and a 1 spline drop at the rear. Andrew's velvet green bus to the left is in for a steering box raise and a service.Brian's double cab is nearing completion, it has a straight axle conversion, drop spindles and adjusters and CSP brakes. Whilst the disco panel was delivered home to it's owner.The squareback received a new clutch, California syle plates and a VDM steering wheel.

and we took in a couple of shows, firstly Goodwood Revival..

Then Ultra VW Bug Boogie..

2008-09-08T16:42:00.006Z

Rich's 13 window is almost complete, now MOT'd and just awaiting the reg number in time for Vanfest at the weekend. This thing drives AWESOME!! 4.5" Caster beam with raised centre pin, drop spindles, raised steering box, straight axle, all new steering, brakes and bearings, recon engine, etc, etc. Charlie and Rich finished the paintwork whilst Mark was away on holiday, turned out pretty good.
Check out the fully polished SLAM KING badge.
Mark took a much needed break to Le Bug Show in Belgium and then down to the west coast of France for a week. Here's our pic of the show.
10" Beam with no inner wings!!Meanwhile Tim came down and collected his bus on the way to his camping trip! Has Drop spindles, adjustable SA conversion and CSP brakes.

Whilst Peter dropped off his '61 for a narrowed beam, Straight axle and drop spindles.

2008-08-12T05:45:00.007Z

Rich's 13 is getting there.. the back has come down another couple of inches since these pics and the motor should be done later this week. Then it's bodywork and interior time. The chromed American eagle 5's have now arrived for it as well. Couple of detail shots...
Chillo came back from holiday and came down on Saturday to collect his new bus. Look out for it if you live in South Yorkshire!
A couple of one day lowering jobs last week, first Dave's '71 received a mild front end drop..
Then Tony's bus. Tony came down from Fife and drove through the night to get to us. Unfortunately we didn't get any after pics, as he was in a rush to go and get some sleep!
Squareback now has new balljoints and rod ends and a new MOT, just waiting on the customs form so it can be registered before the trip to Le Bug Show in Belgium.
We picked up this solid bug from an old customer the other day, it has an adjustable beam up front, a rebuilt 1600 out back and MOT until Jan 2009. Also has a CD player already installed. It's up for £1200, so if you want a cheap bug give us a call.Paul's bus came down from Essex and will be getting a swap back from the bay beam to a stock split beam with drop spindles.
Brian's double cab is in for a Straight axle, discs and drop spindles.
We headed off to the SVWOC show in Chalvington on sunday, here's our pick of the rides there..
Managed to buy Jack a V8 Gasser bug too.

2008-07-30T21:19:00.005Z

Rich's 13 window is getting the works. 4" Caster beam with raised centre pin and narrowed lower shock mounts, Straight axle at rear, drop spindles, notched chassis, raised steering box, rebuilt motor, all new brakes, wheel bearings and steering components and some metalwork and paint blending, MOT and UK reg. So far it has taken around a week, but is coming together nicely.Luke's panel is almost done too, 4" beam, drop spindles, straight axle conv.
The notch went to a new home this week, check out the covered transporter!
The squareback finally arrived and Mark went to collect it. Back home, the front came down within an hour and the tyres were swapped. Should be MOT'd on monday.
We went to Bug Jam for the sunday, here's our pick of nice rides..
Our old square we imported from Vienna in 2003..
Deano's ex junkyard panel. I did remember why I have stayed away for so long though, loads of pikeys and like a landfill site on the sunday.
Tim's bus is also in for a set of drop spindles and a straight axle conversion.
A few sets of wheels have found their way into the shop.
Chris' RHD '70 came in for a 2" narrowed split beam with drop spindles and a 2 spline rear drop with chrome raders.
Before:
After:

2008-07-09T10:16:00.012Z

Another jam packed couple of weeks, I can hardly believe that's all it is since the last blog update.
Chillo's '71 Deluxe is almost done. It has come in for some paint blending and a full buff job, cleaned out the inside...and fitted the westy bed and wardrobe, whilst Charlie rebuilt the engine with all new bearings, new barrels and pistons and new heads. It was lowered and the new chromed 5 spokes were fitted. Still needs to come down at the front a bit more, but you get the idea. All the wiring is done, with new H4 halogen headlamps, the bumpers are painted and fitted and the new screen and seal are in.

The '68 Notch has been sitting forlornly for a while waiting for it's transformation. On Saturday it came inside for a bit of work. Now lowered front and rear with genuine 6x15 Polished Fuchs, new porsche pattern discs up front and re-drilled hubs at the back with press in studs. It has 1x new front caliper, all new hoses, new rear cylinders and rear hub seals. Will be MOT'd as soon as we get time and UK Registered. It is for sale for £3550. If you like what we are doing to Chillo's Deluxe and want us to build you a turnkey original paint bus, we have just picked up this '72, which is very straight and solid. Take a look at the pics and drop us a line. Price is negotiable depending on suspension, wheels and various other options.Mark and Charlie headed up to Felixstowe a couple of Fridays ago to collect the 13 window and '70 Kombi, after the driver we had arranged had to get some repairs done to his truck!

Convoy of Belgian oval bugs on the way round the M25, I assume on their way to Lavenham.

V8 Bike at the shippers

and Binz double cab!!

Here's the '70, which drove back the 150 miles under it's own power,

whilst the 13 window was on the back of the truck. Both buses have now found new owners, but will be slammed and narrowed before we bid them farewell.

Meanwhile, Martin was back at the workshop doing a mild one day lowering job on this local bay.

Rob's standard microbus was finished, with drop spindles, Straight axle conversion with 1500 box, CSP discs and the previous front panel repair finished up and patina painted, before the whole bus was buffed.

Before:

After:

The shop area was re-arranged to make it bigger, so we could fit in some of the wheels, etc we have been buying recently. This corresponded with Volksworld Camper and Bus magazine coming down on Monday for a photoshoot/shop tour. This will be in the Summer issue, out very soon.

A few goodies arrived for the Squareback too, which we bought whilst out in California a couple of months ago. Square is currently clearing customs, after finally arriving last Friday. Mark bought it in February!!

The tidy up also yielded some NON HIPPIE BUS stickers gathering dust from back in the early days of the bus station.

Lovely bay Westy came in for a one day drop also and a set of JGE gas burners. There's something about yellow buses and gas burners that looks so good.

Before:

After:

There doesn't seem to be a week goes by at the moment without a lot of drop spindles on the go, either for customer buses or mail order. Here's a set of the latter:

Finally, we thought we would give the diesel passat hack a 3 hour pre club night makeover. The result is a lowered woody wagon! Just needs moon discs now..

2008-06-23T20:20:00.004Z

Tim's westy is done and went home on saturday. It has a 3" narrowed link pin beam with drop spindles and 2 spline rear drop. Tim emailed as soon as he got home to say how delighted he is with it. If you want YOUR bay to ride like a Cadillac give us a call!
Robert's bus was also finished in time for Saturday collection, with a straight axle and drop spindles.
Beany came in last week for a one day lowering job, looks cool now on it's fuchs.
Before:
After:
We went to Beaulieu motor museum on Sunday for the hot rod and custom day, here are a couple of cool cars from the show:Meanwhile, back in the workshop;

Steve's bus is having a 4" narrowed beam, drop spindles and a straight axle conversion, as well as a tune up and a new MOT,

Luke's party panel is also having a 4" narrowed beam, straight axle and drop spindles,

Phill's bus is back in for the porsche pattern rear hubs to be fitted, adjustable springplates and less altitude..

and Chillo's bus is getting it's rebuilt engine, Dent repair and paint blending, a new screen, lowering and chromed 5 spokes in readiness for an MOT later in the week.

2008-06-12T18:07:00.006Z

Steve's bus arrived down from Cheshire on a trailer, having sat idle for a year due to a gearbox fault. We will be putting a fresh MOT on it, along with a 4" narrowed caster beam, drop spindle and a straight axle conversion. Steve wants to get the OG gas burners repolished, but we think he needs to be persuaded to leave them as they are...

Del's bus came in for some brake work and ended up needing rear hub oil seals as well.1971 Deluxe has come in for some TLC this week, with overhauled brakes, etc. The motor will be rebuilt and back in early next week, then it's MOT time.Charlie's '66 bug is up for sale. It has a 4" beam, drop spindles and 2 spline rear drop. it will have a fresh MOT next week. It's a factory black RHD car with a 3 fold Golde ragtop sunroof and has a red interior. Offers around the £3000 mark.The reason it's up for sale is that Charlie was tempted by a new project... A '58 Logo'd Panel; will be here soon and on the road later this year!Mark has also got another project on the way, a '58 Mango green/Seagull grey standard. This will be finished next year though.. He has also been picking up a load of old travel decals for the squareback's imminent arrival. This was the hoard from Stonor Park and another 6 were picked up at Bristol last weekend, been a bit lax with the camera this week though..Rich came down to see us last week and slapped down a deposit on the '67 13 window. His immaculate bay westy is up for sale to fund it. Drop us a line here if you are interested.Tim's 1970 Westy came in for a 3" narrowed split/link pin beam, drop spindles and a 2 spline rear drop. Should be done for the weekend.... As will the straight axle and drop spindles on Robert's bus. Progress Pics tomorrow on both of these

2008-05-28T18:02:00.003Z

Des' RHD '66 Mango bus is done, just needs a wash before he collects it tomorrow. Has Drop spindles and a straight axle at the rear. It came to us badly in need of gearbox mounts too, so I'm sure Des will be blown away by how much better it drives.

'71 Deluxe is here and will be taking up residence in the 'shop tomorrow. We will be giving it a full overhaul for it's new owner, Chillo. This will include a lowering job, full brake overhaul, engine rebuild, new screen and repainted lower windscreen area, a full paint buff, rock and roll bed, repainted bumpers and wheels, unless chillo decides on what wheels he wants first!

We haven't been able to update the main website for a few weeks due to FTP problems, so here's a sneak peek on a couple of buses on their way here from the US.

First there's the '70 Kombi. Has chrome bumpers and rock and roll bed and will be narrowed, lowered, nice rims and an MOT and UK reg and will be looking for a new home.. Guide price £6750

Then there's the VERY DRY '67 13 window in mostly original paint. Will be getting a rebuilt engine, 4" narrowed beam, raised steering box, drop spindles and straight axle, etc with chromed 5 spokes and red trim insert! Air scoops will be unscrewed and binned and the front will get one of our patina blending jobs to match the rest. Will also have a bed fitted. guide price £9750

2008-05-20T19:33:00.006Z

Why we are different?
We often get asked why our prices seem lower than some of our competition. The answer is that we keep our overheads reasonable, so have to find less money to pay our staff and bills every month. We are happy to keep the bus station fairly small and personal, so you know the name of the person who is working on your car and know that it is a skilled person. Mark personally oversees all the work carried out and will not let your car go out if not 100% happy. We cost each job on the amount of hours we know it will take, not what we think we can get away with charging! I guess this is why more and more people are taking the thinking man's (and women's!) choice. We promise to treat you exactly the same whether you just need advice or are spending thousands of pounds.
___________________________________________
Robert dropped off his RHD '67 split for Drop spindles and a Straight axle conversion, seems to be a popular combo at present.
Phill's 21 window was collected on Saturday morning with a fresh Slam King 4" narrowed caster beam. We don't use rebranded CB beams for a reason!
Charlie's '66 bug now has a red interior and is almost ready for an MOT. Still awaiting spindles and polished 5 spokes.
We finally have the documentation to get our '66 square shipped from California. It's been a long wait at 12 weeks, but will be worth it in the end.
Meanwhile we collected these 'flat 6' polished Porsche rims at the weekend for the notch, which will be Mark's 'driver' until the square is on the road.
'71 Deluxe finally arrives tomorrow, so look out for updated pics soon.

2008-05-12T21:57:00.005Z

It's been a busy couple of weeks;

Phill brought his 21 window in for a 4" narrowed beam and a nice cali split panel is in for a beam, spindles and a straight axle conversion.

Des also dropped off his right hand drive '66 for a straight axle and drop spindles.

Judith's awesome '61 ragtop bug came in for a starting problem to be fixed, we also serviced the engine while it was on the lift.

Rob's patina bus has been a back burner project for a little while, but will be buttoned up this week. So far we have straight axled it, fitted drop spindles and it will be having a master cylinder upgrade, CSP discs, front panel sorting and paint blending and a good buff job - here is a test panel we buffed - sweet!

We headed down to our local club on Weds evening, now they have started meeting at the D Day museum car park again for the summer and a few cool cars turned out.. Cool 80's style cal bug with a few modern touches:

RHD '53 oval bug:

Paul's notch has overhauled brakes, a running engine and level suspension now and went home for paul to do a couple of small jobs before the MOT.

Our notch, on the other hand was left outside last weekend, as the workshop was full and someone did this, before driving off leaving no details.

Mark managed to get most of the dent out, but it will need a little more work.. MOT is booked for thursday then it's slammin' time while we wait for the Registration to come through! Fully polished 6x15 Fuchs have been chosen to go with a 4" narrowed type 1 beam, pics later in the week.

We had a couple of the Slam King badges polished and they look awesome. New Stickers are also in the works and will be here in a week or so.

2008-04-28T12:12:00.014Z

Sorry for a lack of blog updates, due to an extended California trip.. Apologies also for the sheer amount of pics in this blog entry, it may take a while to load, but will be worth it!
Before we went we had to finish the '70 bus for Tom, it's new owner, including working all night to get it finished! It turned out really nice and Tom emailed to say it got him back to Hereford safely.
After all United's 777 fleet were grounded, we had an 'interesting' trip to LA, via an Air India flight to New York! The in flight meal was awesome though!
We visited the world's oldest surviving Mc Donalds in Downey..
Before going to see our Squareback; we had Old Speed lower it and fit Chromed Fuchs with a view to using it on our trip. However, a paperwork holdup means it is still waiting at the shipper even as we type. It looks cool though.
We took in a few shows... Nicks Burgers DKP cruise night on Friday..
Followed by Featherly park on sat AM..
Goodguys Del Mar Hot rod show Sat PM..
and Bug-in 33 on Sunday.
Then a few Junkyards, both VW and domestic..
followed by a bit of R+R in Las Vegas..
Where we happened upon the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly weekender..
followed by a 104 degree heat Phoenix Bugorama.
All in all an awesome trip. Here are a few of the smaller goodies we picked up.
To see a lot more pics click this link:
http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/patina66/

Meanwhile Charlie was busy keeping the workshop ticking over; doing the MOT work and fitting new sills to Johnny's brazillian bus..
Charlie also managed to pick up this RHD factory black '66 bug whilst Mark was away. It has a 3 fold ragtop fitted. He managed to do a load of work on it, including building a 4" beam for it and a load of repairs and paint blending.
Paul dropped off his lovely RHD '64 1500s Notch for a brake overhaul, some suspension work and re-commisioning the engine, after being stored since 1975! Here's the tax disc still in the windscreen.
The '68 N model one owner notch was delivered from Austria last week and is a very solid car. Work began with new fuel lines, firing up the engine, buffing the bootlid and adding a rack and suitcase...we couldn't resist! and will include a full brake overhaul and a narrowed type 1 beam with drop spindles and a nice set of rims. Priced at a very reasonable £4500 it could be yours - get in quick and you can choose the finer options, such as wheels, etc.

2008-03-25T23:29:00.003Z

It's been a busy month, with Mark and Charlie working until 10pm most nights to get through everything. We will be away on a California trip from 2nd April until 20th April, so please email if you want a response to a query before we arrive back.

Terry's IRS and Drop spindles was finished and a delighted Terry came down from London to collect it.

John's bus received a 2" narrowed split beam and drop spindles.

Here's John setting off home to the west country..

A wintery trip to Austria for the '70 Kombi consumed the Easter weekend for Mark!

Meanwhile Carl dropped off his '70 Camper for a 4" narrowed beam and his Link pin bug beam to be turned into a 4 incher too.

The stickerbug is now the no stickerbug.. Andy, the new owner wasn't enamoured with the stickers, so we took them all off and got rid of all the glue residue (lovely job that was). It also received a fresh MOT and a new spare wheel well. Andy collected it this morning for the long drive home to Suffolk.

The '70 Kombi is now MOT'd and is getting a couple of repairs and some paint blending, while we wait on the DVLA for the registration.

Johnny dropped off his Brazillian bay for some MOT work and new sills fitting.

2008-03-06T18:13:00.004Z

Jon from Volksworld came down on monday to drop off his Bug beam for narrowing. We are making him a 4" narrowed one with shock towers. Upon returning to the office he kindly put a few pics on the Volksworld Blog. Read about it here http://www.volksworld.com/news/blog/196113/trip-to-the-bus-station.html
Terry's bus is nearing completion - should be done tomorrow in time for Saturday collection. Here are a few progress pics.
John dropped his '68 westy off for a narrowed split caster beam with drop spindles.
And Garfy left his bay westy with us for a couple of days for one of our one day lowering jobs. Gas Burners next!
Before:
After: Dave brought his T4 in for lowering, in and out super quick!
Meanwhile the front disc kit arrived from CSP for Rob's Green split bus.
Mark did a deal with Simon, which sees the project '55 bus go to Simon's and the '67 Stickerbug return to The Bus Station. Some of you may remember Mark drove it 1000 miles home from Vienna, before slamming it on a 5" narrowed Bus Station beam for Simon. Here's how it looked when completed with the polished Raders on..
And here's how it looks currently with zero offset ercos on the front. Expect to see a few changes, including yet another wheel change as we take it to the next level.
Finally, our new stainless Slam King badges have arrived and come free with a Bus Station narrowing job. Get yours now!

2008-02-24T19:02:00.004Z

Mark blasted up to Dubfreeze at 5am sunday morning and only spent a couple of hours there. It was minus 7 degrees when we got there!
Some guys had braved the cold with some nice cars, this early patina bug was a favourite..
As was this lovely '69 bug with a 4" narrowed beam in the for sale area.
Rikki James had travelled up in his awesome early squareback.
As had Rich 'Selecta' Whitlock, now sporting OG 5 lug sprints.
A couple of nice early bays in the for sale area,
As well as a RHD late notch, don't think I have seen one of these before!
356 was drawing a crowd.
This 59 bug had also braved the cold.
As had this Palm green/sand green '58.
Speaking of Palm green/sand green, we managed to pick up some panels for project '55 from Autocraft. Both rear arches and the long sill. Just need to find some time to resume the work now.
Back to the workshop and this teabag 1303 is donating it's gearbox and a few other bits before it goes to heaven.
The gearbox will be going into Terry's Aussie panel next week, as well as a set of our drop spindles.
Rob also dropped off his awesome original paint bus for a straight axle fitting and drop spindles, as well as sorting out the lower front panel someone had 'repaired' previously and fitting some CSP discs. We will also be doing some paint blending and machine buffing the whole bus.
Alain's Ghia has been 'resting' in a local pub car park for a couple of years now, as with a business and 4 kids he just hasn't had the time to sort it out. With the pub changing hands he had a couple of days notice to move it. Mark drove it to the workshop, complete with smashed windscreen and seized o/s front caliper! It's now resting in one of the lock ups for a week or 2 and then will be getting a new screen, a lowered front end and a new MOT.
The blue '70 bay, green '66 bug and green '68 notch will be here in the next week or 2 from Austria. Check out the for sale page on the main site for more info.
Our new scratch built 5" narrowed bug beams with shock towers (not shown)will be ready in 2-3 weeks, built from 100% new materials.

2008-02-15T20:12:00.003Z

Project 1200 is finished and was collected by Richie yesterday. He texted when he got home to say how good it drives and how chuffed he is with it. It's things like that that make it all worthwhile!
The car looks much better for a good clean and another spline drop at the rear.
The Performance industries wheels cleaned up good too and really suit the car.
Speaking of projects, the next one in the works is the '68 Notch. It was going to be a keeper for a while, but Mark was tempted by a white '66 N model square with a red interior instead. The notch will be slammed with a type 1 narrowed beam, drop spindles and some cool rims. It will be buffed and a couple of localised repairs professionally carried out and could be yours! Prices from £4500.
Here are a couple of pics of it's replacement, a '66 square to suit the white with red interior obsession!Dave's bus came in for some brake work. It will be for sale soon, it's a RHD 4 berth Devon!

2008-02-09T14:55:00.000Z

Project 1200 is back down with it's 5" beam. MOT re-test monday then it needs to come down a little more front and rear...The wheels and stance really suit it and the red interior is the icing on the cake. We think Richie will be pleased with his new purchase.

2008-02-06T11:21:00.001Z

Richie's project 1200 will be done tomorrow with a 5" narrowed beam, more pics soon.We have been making a start on our new shop area, we got a lovely old oak framed display counter and have started filling it up. We have a long way to go with the shop, but it should be a sight to behold when it's done. We have been stripping more paint on project '55. It went up for sale last week, but we quickly realised this would be a mistake. We hope to be picking up a lot of parts and panels for it at Dubfreeze in a couple of weeks.

2008-01-25T19:28:00.000Z

Jamie's bus is finished - 4" narrowed balljoint beam, 2 spline rear drop, with polished Raders.

2008-01-22T10:39:00.000Z

A big thank you to James and Ivan at Volksworld Camper and Bus for the feature on our '68 Deluxe, well written and great pics by Dan Pullen.

Simon's bus is finished and left for simon to fit his wheels and do the rest of the MOT work. By the amount of spiders webs we found (as well as one live one!!) we have a feeling he will be removing the interior for a full clean before it gets used as a family camper! Simon is looking for a '73 westy double roof bed to accomodate a family of 5 into the westy. If anyone has one, drop us a line and we will pass your details on.

The '73 1303 left on a transporter for it's new home in Lancashire. Philip is the lucky new owner of a full documented original car with one owner until 2000.

Some of you may remember Local guy Phil's high rise bus we lowered back in the summer by around a foot! He brought it in to go a little lower still.

Jamie's '68 Deluxe is now on the lift having a 4" narrowed beam and 2 spline drop at the rear. More pics later..

Richie's 'Project 1200' bug went for it's MOT. The only real failure of note was a rusty front beam. The 5" narrowed one will cure that and will be started later in the week..

Speaking of project 1200, we had the tyres mounted on the Performance industries wheels for the car - 145/65/15 fronts and 165/15 rears.

Our '68 deluxe has been sitting out the bad weather in the 'shop of late, so we decided to take it out for a blast...

We picked up some solid rims, project 1200's wheels and new tyres and 30 square metres of solid oak flooring, without any bottoming out or adverse effects on the suspension.

Project '55's metalwork is coming on slowly. It is a backburner project, but we are still hoping to get the metalwork completed this side of summer. Rear light holes welded up, along with a few others. Rear corner repairs started, more pics to follow.

Rear bumper was hacked for an exhaust..

Now welded up ready for blasting.

2008-01-10T19:36:00.000Z

Simon's bus is getting close to completion. The windscreen was cracked and there was some surface rust under the rubber, so...we removed the screen..
Then took it back to clean metal with the wire brush on the grinder, before trating with POR-15 metal ready, priming and painting in L87. Still needs wet sanding and buffing when dry, but a great finish for straight out of the gun.
Meanwhile the suspension and brakes are pretty much there, all new at every corner. 4" Narrowed beam, drop spindles and adjustable springplates.

2008-01-07T19:28:00.000Z

Happy New Year!

We took a well earned break over Christmas. Spent time with family and ate way too much, but feel all the better for it.

Anyway, back to work.. We now have another white deluxe in with red interior for a narrowed front beam and 2 spline rear drop. Should be done by the end of the week. Check out the height difference!

Phil dropped in on Saturday to discuss a narrowed front beam and front disc set up.

Simon's bus is nearly done, 4" narrowed beam and balljoint drop spindles are fitted. We just have to fit the adjustable springplates and overhaul the brakes.

The Early Bay station...

Texas Yellow 1303 received a new MOT and it's ready for it's new owner.

Project '55 has been making steady progress, we stripped more paint to expose nice thick original paint and painted the front badge sand green...

Then started welding up the multitude of holes, starting at the rear end..

1st rear light hole tacked in, just needs grinding back and the rest welding. That's 11 holes so far then and a lot more to go..

We have started fabricating the dollies we are going to use to move it around once the running gear is removed. These just need castors welding on, then they will bolt to where the front beam bolts up.

We now stock Quick steer kits, which are a must for a beetle with a 5" narrowed beam.

2007-12-20T19:00:00.000Z

Sorry for the lack of blog updates recently. With a close family member in hospital for a couple of weeks and a buildings emergency at home, prompting a 10 day hotel stay, December hasn't been easy to say the least. Roll on 2008...

Anyway, back to what has been going on at the workshop this month;

Simon's westy came in for some paint blending on the repair we did earlier..

Check out the 'before' shot to see the marked improvement;Project 1200 had it's paint repairs completed.. Looking much better with the red interior and paint; These rare Performance Industries mags arrived from Kinky Mick for the car. MOT and 5" narrowed beam will be done soon for it's new owner... We did a narrowed beam for Richie's split bus earlier in the year, now he has just put a deposit down on project 1200.Project '55 was collected from the docks. As you can see we have some work to do, but it's pretty solid and fairly complete. Work so far has been confined to sourcing parts and starting to strip the 5 layers of paint to expose the original Palm Green and Sand Green underneath.John brought his beetle in for the rear end to be RAISED. Each to their ownAnother of our 5" Narrowed beams finished, this time a Link pin one for Lucy just in time for christmas!

2007-11-24T17:06:00.000Z

Here is our new Volksworld ad... at least it would have been if they hadn't used the same outdated version they have used in the last 3 issues GRRR.At least the editorial team are good guys - James from Camper and bus magazine sent us this re-sized pic from our '68 deluxe photoshoot. It's for sale for £9500 and will Hopefully be in the Feb 2008 Issue of Volksworld C+B.
Work on Simon's '69 Westy is progressing, although we have spent some time waiting for parts. Firstly the front bike rack was removed - it was welded to the bumper!
Then we made and fitted a repair piece to the rear corner, where someone had cut a big hole in it for an oil cooler. First we welded up all the small screw holes, before fabricating a repair piece by plug welding 2 pieces together, to keep the original seam. We then butt welded it in place.
Before grinding it smooth. A little paint blending will follow.
Simon already had a 4" narrowed balljoint beam and bay drop spindles left over from other projects, which he wanted us to fit to the bus. The beam had a couple of interesting areas, which we decided to attend to before fitting. Someone had welded loads of metal on instead of adjusters and it was a bit of a mess.
We fitted new adjusted instead. As you can see, the beam has been narrowed by keeping part of the original inner towers. Not how we would do it, but it is serviceable all the same.
Project '69 1200 came in for a little metalwork where the engine lid seal goes. Bubbles turned into large holes... so we cut it back to good metal... ...and let in a couple of repair sections. The blistered paint on the rear vents and engine lid is also ready for the topcoats and this repair will be blended in too. Narrowed beam this week..Finally, our project '55 bus has now cleared customs so look out for updates once it arrives at the workshop. Here's an 'as found' pic to whet your appetite! Obviously we have a fair bit to do..

2007-11-06T18:36:00.000Z

Been another hectic couple of weeks, so sorry for the lack of updates..

We have been busy getting some new project vehicles for the winter ahead.

Firstly, we have bought a wolfsburg produced 1955 Standard Microbus. It has little rust, but a lot of old hack jobs. We plan to do the metalwork, a proper slam job and hopefully find the original Palm Green/Sand Green paint under the gold paint. At least it has a lot of the hard to find parts, such as the brake light decklid and pressed bumpers (Including Wolfsburg front one) Arrives from the USA in a couple of weeks.

Next is the '68 Peru Green N model Notchback. Will be getting a narrowed type 1 beam, CB spindles and a set of chromed Flat 4 Fuchs.. Should be arriving from Austria in a week or 2. This will be our new 'driver' to replace the '68 bus once it is sold, until we get the '55 bus on the road.

Finally there is our project late 1200. It is a '69 bug, which has had a mild engine fire (Just the plug wires, fuel lines and a little paint affected), but is very solid and pretty original. This will get some localised paintwork, one of our 5 inch narrowed ball joint beams with CB drop spindles and some early thin lip rivieras or superiors. This will be for sale on completion, so if you want a cool reliable 1600 powered late 1200, drop us a line. It is Tax exempt and will be sold with 12 months MOT.

Here is how it looked when we picked it up:

We managed to source a mint red interior from a '68 bug in York, it was a long drive, but well worth it.

Interior installed:Engine bay cleaned up with some new ancilliaries. We'll keep you posted on it's progress.

With all these VW projects, we decided to pass the '66 Chevy pickup on to a new owner, here it is on it's way up to North London. We had a bit of fun with it, but would definitely go for a 60-63 Automatic with the fleetside bed next time.We sold the sticker bug to Simon from Bognor a couple of months ago. Now his westy is in for a narrowed beam and ball joint drop spindles to be fitted, that he had lying around from previous projects. We will fit these, maybe some adjustable springplates and, as yet undecided rims to finish it off.Alain's bus is in for some MOT work.The '68 Deluxe came out awesome and we were very pleased with the Volksworld Camper and bus photoshoot. It's amazing what a bit of valeting will do. We think £9750 is a steal for this bus.

2007-10-20T17:50:00.000Z

Jason came down from South Wales for a 1 day lowering special. It rolled in at 11am and he was back on the road by 4pm.
Before:Jason Brought his brand new Enkei slot mags to be fitted as well. We fitted these and lowered it 4" at the front and 1 outer spline at the rear. Looks like a different bus!
After:
Been wet sanding the inner wheel arches of the '68 deluxe and doing lots of other minor detailing for the photo shoot next week for Volksworld Camper and Bus.How clean?!We dropped Mark's split bus a couple of months ago on Drop spindles. He brought his Ghia down from the West Midlands for a 1 day front end lowering job and some new chrome raders with red bands to be fitted. We also changed the gearbox oil, which was lucky, as very little came out!
Before:
After:
Before:
After: MUCH nicer!

2007-10-16T21:16:00.000Z

Been little time available for updates recently. Finally been able to sort out computer glitches so the website has been updated with all the new cars for sale and we have just begun a bit of a re-vamp. Check out the main site.. Lee's bus came directly from the paintshop for a one day lowering job.

Before:After:Another one day lowering job was carried out on Brian's bus

Before:After:Tim's '67 RHD bug came in for the rear to be dropped a little.

2007-10-01T18:49:00.000Z

Another busy week!
Robs split was finished and features drop spindles and a 4" narrowed Bus Station caster beam, with 7 degrees positive caster. This compensates for drop spindle caster issues and generally makes it much more stable at all speeds. This thing corners on rails.Rob texted us when he got home to say how delighted he is with it.Tony brought his daughter's bug down from Hertfordshire for one of our 5" narrowed balljoint beams with shock towers, drop spindles and a front disc conversion. Here's how it looked before..And here's how it looks now. It was left high on the adjusters, as it was being transported back home for Tony to do the rest of the rebuild over the winter.After some soul searching we decided to call time on the Randars and opted for some Chrome raders instead for the '68.I pulled a late one ('till 1 am) on friday night to get the '68 ready for Brighton Breeze. Got the drop spindles on, new chrome JGE Raders and another spline down at the rear with Koni adjustables. Looks and drives MUCH better. Here it is queuing to get onto Madeira drive.

And parked up for the day
Nice RHD 15 window
I have loved this RHD '58 bug for a few years now.
Lovely original single cab
'69 Bay is in for a lowering job, will be done tomorrow..

2007-09-10T19:38:00.000Z

Sorry, there's been no posts for a couple of weeks, due to being flat out with work and computer problems.
Rob's ambulance is in for a 4" narrowed beam and drop spindles. Up on the rack with beam removed... ...beam went back in this evening.
We made it to Vanfest in the 68 bus on the sunday, after a last minute thrash to get the new engine in. The drop spindles and randars were supposed to be fitted too, but the rear hubs need to be machined to enable the Randars to fit. The bus is now for sale (with drop spindles and Randars fitted) and complete with the VWoA bay roof rack for £9750. Wanna super clean 68 deluxe with a red interior, narrowed beam, etc, then give us a call.The morning of the show dawned bright and, a little too early for some... Here are a few of our best selections..

Slammed '58 panel on the motorway leaving the show.
Fantastic stance and wheel combo on this '66 KombiLovely standard early westy.Jacks supermarket panel tucked away in the trade area.Clare's pick of the show.Slammed firetruck, just needs a little red paint blending..Paul came and collected his rust free bay and emailed us to say it had got home to Devon well and drives lovely. He is well pleased, which makes all the work worthwhile.We collected the '66 Chevy towing vehicle from the docks at the end of August. Apart from a stuck clutch and broken windscreen it is OK. We are working to get it on the road soon. The paint is buffing out really well.A couple of cool VW's we saw at the docks..mmmm, black with red interior.August bank holiday took us up north for a friends wedding, so it was only right to visit the street rod nats in Ipswich on the sunday.

Awesome early Chevy suburban on bagsSweet little '32 5 window would also have come home with us...

2007-08-23T18:04:00.000Z

Mark brought his bus down from Staffordshire yesterday morning for some drop spindles and a 1 spline drop. He was on the road again by 6pm, job done and looking much cooler.
Before: After: We couldn't fix the black spot on the camera though!

2007-08-19T19:12:00.000Z

Alain, our local friendly hair stylist brought his bus in with a brake problem, turns out the handbrake mech had fallen apart on one side...Gary brought his bus in for a one day lowering special..

Before:After:Martin, a friend of ours is back from Croatia to re-commision his '54 series 1 Land Rover, then he plans to drive it back to Croatia in a couple of weeks. We are letting him use some workshop space and in return he is helping us get through some back burner projects..Our old bug was sold to Simon in Bognor a while ago, but was booked for a narrowing job to fit in as and when, but definitely by Beachbuggin...
Predictably it turned into a last minute thrash, being finished on the morning of the show, due to some wrong parts being supplied.But it made the show and simon loves it. It has a 5" narrowed balljoint beam with custom shock towers, CB drop spindles and a 2 inner spline drop at the rear.It tucks the Raders nicely and, more importantly drives nice too. This is one we wish we hadn't sold..
Here's our pick of nice cars from Beachbuggin' today:
Nice local cal bugSlammed ragtop oval;Cool bay panel with orange wheels;Sweet ratty old truck;And a lovely small bumper pre 79 golf.

2007-08-10T15:31:00.000Z

Collected the 64 walkthru bus from the docks. It's for sale for £3250. Will come with drop spindles and a 1 spline rear drop for this price if it goes in the next fortnight...Kev brought his crewcab in for a drive in and out lowering job.
Before:
During:
After: and it still rides great!
John brought in his Westy after the steering pin assembly came off in the Italian mountains!!Unusually, the rest of the beam was very sound, but john trailered it to us, as he wasn't confident with the 'repair'!!!We fitted a rust free beam, which we lowered to match the previous one. John wants to fit a servo to the bus at some point, so we also moved the servo bracket across for RHD

2007-08-06T21:09:00.000Z

Rowan brought his beetle in for a rust free front beam and a tickle with the lowering stick. Looks MUCH better now.

2007-07-31T18:37:00.000Z

' 72 Bus virtually ready for the MOT, Just the rear brakes and engine bay wiring to do. Now the front calipers are rebuilt it moves freely, we are looking forward to getting it outside and giving it a wash!
Andy brought his bus in for a slam job and it looks a lot better now.
Before:
After:Full house!Got around to doing the drop spindles for the 68 deluxe, just got to fit them and the randars before beachbuggin', oh, and an engine..

2007-07-19T18:46:00.000Z

Dave brought his bus in for the rear lowering 1 more spline and the springplates notching
Martin's bus is back for a little MOT work. If anyone is looking for a split westy it will be for sale shortly, contact us for details.Been doing more work on the 72 bus. Starting with that rear corner repair..Followed by a little primer and paint.

Then the new halogen headlights were fitted. Nearly ready for the MOT now.
The front height was also set, the rear will need to come down a little more. The '68 had it's engine removed in preparation for the new one, drop spindles and randars fitting, as well as a few niggly jobs from the last few weeks driving it.

2007-07-11T16:10:00.000Z

This is how the '72 bus looked when we collected it from the docks - plenty of air in the front arches.. It is currently on the lift, having the MOT work and new engine fitted, etc...
And of course a healthy slam job.One of the small repairs now finished - butt welded and ground smooth.
and a 1600 twin port inlet manifold was modified for the servo pipe.

2007-07-07T15:21:00.000Z

John came down today (saturday) from Hertfordshire for a mild drop so his bus would fit in his garage. We duly obliged.
Before: After:Gave the '68 it's 1st bath, been too busy getting it on the road to clean it..

2007-07-06T17:28:00.000Z

Simon brought his '68 Aussie import bus down from Bedfordshire today for a 1 day lowering job.
Before:After:Another happy customer! Another one tomorrow, this service is now available Saturdays by appointment. Call or email to book.

2007-07-05T16:24:00.000Z

3 months after they were ordered and after 2 attempts, we finally received the new signs! Paul brought his bus down from Birmingham today for a 1 day lowering job. He arrived at 9am and was on the road again by 3pm. Another 2 to do in the next 2 days.

Before:After:The rims suit it a lot better now..Then we did a little more work on the '72, rewiring the front sidelights for the MOTAnd finally for today Simon's bug (our old '67) is now in the main workshop for it's beam to be removed for narrowing.The workshop is a bit more spacious now the long term residents are done and gone. Our '68 is sheltering from the rain.

2007-07-03T19:05:00.000Z

The trip to Euro bug in went well, the only problem being the fuel gauge, which started to read full all the time half way through the trip. Fortunately I filled a can with 10 litres after a near empty experience on friday night in France!The show was a little smaller than I had expected, due to all the pre event hype, but there were some cool cars. Here is our pick;Not usually into Porsche 914's, but this one was on the floor! Lovely vintage racer/outlaw lowlight ghiaNice late bay single cab on early fuchs Slammed early bay factory highroof panelZwitter bug running a seriously narrowed front end with no shocksSuper narrowed ratty bug on baby gas burners was coolNice square on SA sprintsNice late bus on polished NSU baby fuchs looked great. Even with adapters the wheels still tucked nicely.Clean '72 bus sounded like it was running flat 6 power!Early bay crewcabs are rarer than split ones. This '71 was on my wish list.Slammed ghia was on a drive by most of saturday afternoon - a cool ride for sureLate bug on detailed fuchs looked awesome.When we saw the Porsche service-wagen at Spa last year it blew us away so much we sold our split and bought the '68.Early split bug was super slammed and sparked along the roadClare's favourite was this gulf blue early notchTaking in a rest stop on the way back. Unfortunately I am taking it back off the road to do the drop spindles, fit the randars and fit a bigger engine.Despite the hectic week in the run up to Bug In, we managed to buy a new towing vehicle. It's a 66 Chevy truck with a factory 283 CU (4.7 Litres!) V8 and a 4 on the floor trans..It is still in Idaho at the moment, but should be here in a couple of months and will make trips to the docks and to Europe to collect cars a bit more pleasureable.We already have a mexican blanket lined up for the front seat....and have already priced up drop spindles, disc brakes and lowered coil springs to give it the lowdown. Mark has been a fan of these 60-66 trucks for a few years and this one stole our heart.Meanwhile, it's back to work. We sold the '72 bus a couple of weeks ago and need to do an engine swap, a couple of small repairs, a lowering job and an MOT/registration before it is collected by it's new owner.The only rust on the bus is in the O/S lower corner and is localised to 2 spots.Here is the main repair cut out and painted in copper weld thru primer ready for a butt welded repair.

2007-06-28T21:52:00.000Z

The bus is ready for European Bug In. Today I re-set the tracking, fitted the stereo, fitted an inertia rear seat belt for my little boy's car seat, fitted the new headlamps and generally had a check over it. I then took it to the Low down dubbers club meet, which is every other thursday. There is a cruise from Bognor Regis to the Selsey Tram pub at Donnington, just outside Chichester. Here it is at the petrol station. Hopefully the DVLA will call tomorrow, but having come this far in the last 7 days I WILL be going in it to Bug In!The headlamps I used were from a supplier of Mini parts, they are halogen sealed beams and fit perfectly inside the original US spec housings, so still look original, but have the sidelamp fitted also. I have tried both early bay european lights and late bay flat lens ones in the past, but I think these are the perfect option.

2007-06-27T23:33:00.000Z

Today's update:

Lowered the rear 1 spline for now, as I am staying with stock wheels for Bug In. I will be putting drop spindles and adjustable springplates on in the next couple of weeks with the Randars. I also dropped the front down a little on the adjuster, although I was restricted by the shocks on there at the moment. Went down to the DVLA this morning, so fingers crossed it will be back friday.. Took it to the PKW club night, it's on every wednesday close to southsea seafront.
I did a couple of MOT advisories today as well as the lowering and I'm glad I did. The rear brakes were a bit imbalanced, but the MOT tester let it go.. it turns out the nearside was covered in brake fluid, so I replaced both rear cylinders and the rear shoes (I had checked the front brakes, but only had time to adjust the rear's before the MOT) I also changed the drag link, as this was an advisory due to slight play.Some more gratuitous car park shots... Just got to get the tracking done properly, fit the ipod stereo, fit the inertia rear seat belt for the car seat, fit the kick panels, check the valve clearances, fit the cardboard air hoses and pull out the wiper motor and free off the spindles, as the wipers are very slow and I don't want to get caught out! I have 1 NOS 68 only wiper spindle, but only 1, so the drivers side may get this until I can find another. Stupidly I sold a pair on ebay last year! If I get time I will also replace the headlamps, as the new ones arrived today - they are halogens but with convex lenses and should fit inside the original US spec housings for an original look.

2007-06-26T18:15:00.000Z

Pics at the MOT station, where it passed with flying colours. Just need to fit a rear seat belt, clean it and lower it then we are good to go. I will be at the DVLA local office first thing with fingers crossed it will be back in time. The last one I registered took a day, but it's sod's law this on will take too long.
Needs dropping down drastically. I think the Randar's will have to wait for now, as they are not a simple bolt on job. I might get the tyres turned around to show the white bands though.
Worm's eye view.

2007-06-25T21:24:00.000Z

The bus is back on it's wheels, I re-scheduled the MOT for tomorrow, as I knew by lunchtime I was running out of time. It looks pretty crap at the moment as it's still standard height, but getting there. Good friend Simon T came over this morning to help me with a few wiring issues fresh home from his Camberg trip. He fitted some borrowed headlamps, as the ones I ordered still haven't arrived.
The beam does tuck, but the effect will be more dramatic when I drop it down. For now I didn't want a rake for the MOT.

2007-06-24T21:57:00.000Z

Today's work:
Went to Holton Classic show this morning, but with the bad weather wish we hadn't bothered, as it made my deadline even tighter..

Anyway, got back and put in a few hours on the bus. stripped the complete donor beam for the leaves, steering idler and track rods. Fortunately it already had 2 adjustable rods with bay outer ends and split inners! Then fitted the new bushes and torsion leaves, shortened the leaves and re-drilled the dimples.

Next the bearing sleeves were removed from the torsion arms so they would fit the new bushes and these were duly fitted. Then the beam was bolted in to the bus. I only snapped one picture, as I was tight for time. MOT tomorrow (with standard link pin spindles fitted) then the rest of the drop tues all being well. Still need to polish 3 of the Randars, get the mag bolts and the spacers for the rear wheels to clear the hub centres.